Janome Continental M17!

For our December Janome Life blogs, I was asked to share with you a favourite Janome machine or product which makes my sewing easier, more enjoyable; something I can’t live without. The answer is so simple! I love all the features, revolutionary technology, and advanced techniques of each of my Janome machines, however, since I regularly use my Janome Continental M17, particularly for embroidery, I have to choose it as my favourite thing!

I am amazed by the features of the embroidery part of this machine!!! I embroider everything I can get my hands on, and I keep saying “I’m wearing my machine” because I embroider almost all my clothes!!!

Janome Continental M17

MORE BUILT-IN EMBROIDERY DESIGNS:

1,230 built-in embroidery patterns are standard, including Designer collections, ten embroidery fonts and numerous projects in the hoop (ITH) to keep you engaged and creative. In addition, the NEW Embroidery Link app for Android and Apple devices will allow users to customize and edit these same patterns, adding and removing elements to create a one-of-a-kind embroidery. It will even recalculate stitches to perfectly digitize a design to fit any of the 5 included embroidery hoops. With so many standard stitches and embroidery patterns, personal creative expression is limitless!

Some of the built-in Christmas designs

MORE ROOM FOR CREATIVITY:

Our largest set of hoops and embroidery designs ever created! The RE46d hoop is reinforced with carbon fibers for strength and stability as it offers embroidery freedom at 11 x 18.1″. No other machine on the market offers this kind of stability and precision at this size, even when embroidering at speeds of 1200 spm. Four of the embroidery hoops included have a new lever clamp system to tighten the hoop, and the carriage has the NEW on-screen hoop size detection technology, so you can’t make a mistake. A bonus Quilting Kit with the 10.6 x 10.6″ (270 x 270 mm) AcuFil magnetic hoop for quilting in the hoop is also included.

Hoop RE46d 11 x 18,1”, the largest in the domestic industry

Hoop RE46d is reinforced with carbon fibers which are 10x stronger than iron, making this big hoop extra strong!

HOOP TIGHTENING LEVERS:

If you’ve found that you sometimes need a third hand to tighten the screws on your hoops, you’ll love the easy clamping lever! Install your stabilizer and fabric, then close the lever to lock it in place. An easy step for a perfectly taught hoop, especially for those with dexterity issues. This makes hooping a breeze!

HOOP DETECTOR

This NEW technology advancement protects your machine and helps you avoid making the mistake of selecting the wrong design for the wrong hoop. Click the hoop into place and the machine will display an alert on the large LCD screen; it will NOT let you proceed to embroider without selecting and engaging the correct hoop.

On screen editing on the large 10.1×10.1″ LCD screen to customize designs as you wish.

INTERACTIVE WIRELESS EMBROIDERY:

Your options for discovering and using the Janome CM17 are limitless. Use the NEW AcuAssist interactive app to master the machine’s intuitive and extensive functionality. It’s basically your instruction manual – and more – at your fingertips!

With the Embroidery Link app, you can resize, redesign, and arrange embroidery without sitting in front of your machine. And with AcuSetter, AcuSketch, and the Screensaver app, you can take your machine customization and embroidery capabilities to the next level.

All Janome apps are FREE! iOS (12.0 and later) and Android (5.1 or later)​

Wireless connectivity

EMBROIDERY POSITIONING MARKER:

Janome’s NEW embroidery foot, the PM Precision Marker with LED alignment feature, indicates the position of the needle on the fabric before embroidery begins. Perfect for embroidery that requires precise alignment or use to align the needle with the design after a thread break.

QUILTING HOOP ASQ27d:

A great tool for quilting in the hoop, the ASQ27d 10.6 x 10.6” (270 x 270 mm) magnetic hoop uses 8 large magnets to securely hold fabric thicknesses in place. The accompanying hard acrylic template provides precise alignment of the design and helps condense the layers while securing the magnets in place. With the included Artistic Digitizer jr. software, create edge-to-edge quilting patterns and take advantage of the built-in patterns in AcuFil Tools. Print templates for precise design placement to turn your embroidery machine into a longarm quilting machine!

 
Yes… It is possible to embroider our quilting!!!

Since I bought my Janome Continental M17, I’ve been using it to do live demonstrations every week on the Janome Canada Facebook page in French every Friday at 2pm Eastern, and Janome America Facebook page every Tuesday at 3pm Eastern, and sometimes in the Janome Continental Club Fridays at 3pm Eastern.

Perhaps you’ll think about adding the Janome Continental M17 to your Christmas gift list this year? Check out the Janome Canada Holiday Gift Guide for more Janome gift ideas and contact our Janome Dealers for details!

I will tell you more about this wonderful machine very soon!

Happy Holidays!

I’m B-A-A-C-K!! @janomehq Instagram LIVE series “Ask Janome HQ” TODAY at 1pm EST!

Join us LIVE at 1pm EST @janomehq Instagram page this afternoon for our series, “Ask Janome HQ” as we read and answer your questions asked by e-mail and on our Janome Canada social media. When possible, we’ll also try to answer questions LIVE, so tune in to join in the FUN while we learn about all things Janome.

“Ask Janome HQ” will be presented every other week. We’ll still be presenting our very popular, ongoing series “Janome’s Magical Machine Mystery Tour” in the alternate weeks, so be sure to FOLLOW us so you don’t miss a post!

Don’t worry if you can’t make the LIVE presentation, though. They’ll be stored in the IGTV icon on the Janome HQ Instagram Page and later posted as videos on the Janome HQ You Tube channel. A new Playlist, “Ask Janome HQ” has been created so you can easily find all the presentations there if you miss a LIVE presentation or don’t have an Instagram account.

Follow us on the Janome HQ Facebook page to see what’s new at our Janome Canada Headquarters, our Janome HQ!

Happy Sewing and #sharethejanomelove!

Today’s Facebook LIVE: Bundle Up In Style!

It’s a NEW year and Celine has a whole new line up of NEW projects filled with new sewing tips and tricks for you! This month the Janome Sewing Machine Facebook LIVES will focus on projects to help you “Bundle up in style” since most of the United States, and certainly all of us in Canada are in the throws of Winter with more cold and snow on the way!

On today’s Janome Sewing Machine Facebook LIVE at 3pm Eastern, Celine will show you how to construct a pair of fun and fashionable multi-colour mittens using different fabrics, thread and elastic.

Though Celine often uses the fabulous Janome AT2000D air thread serger, many Janome sergers share the same features and ways of adjusting the machine for various techniques, so everyone can share in the fun!

The same is also often the case when Celine uses the fabulous Janome Continental M17. or Janome MC15000 Quilt Maker to demonstrate her techniques. Many Janome models come with the same presser feet or have the same embroidery designs, features or stitches, so these projects can be done on any machine. There are always creative ways to adapt to make it work!

Janome Continental M17.

Check out our handy NEW Janome Accessories Guide in the Accessories Tab on Janome.CA. to find the presser feet and accessories compatible with your machine. Click the Products tab, then scroll down to find “View all Accessories“. Click there to access the Search Box or to scroll through the pages to find the accessories you’d like. Click on the picture/description to find the Part Number and machine compatibility. And, as always, check with your fabulous Janome Dealer!

Don’t worry if you can’t make the LIVE. All of the presentations will be saved under the Videos tab of the Janome Sewing Machines Facebook page. Use the Search Box to find all the videos with Celine Ross.

Don’t have a Facebook account, don’t worry, they will be uploaded to the Janome HQ You Tube channel under the Facebook Live playlist to enjoy whenever you wish!

Happy Sewing!

Scrap Organization Tips & Tricks

As creative types, we’re generally resourceful and have a knack of pulling odd bits of materials together to create something ostensibly out of nothing. Quilters especially are known for their stashes of fabric, and some, like me, save literally every inch of fabric with the intension of using them in one project, or another. A Postage Stamp quilt, for example, is comprised of 1″ finished squares. Below is a photo of a quilt I made for my eldest sister’s 50th birthday using 1.5″ squares which finish at 1″ to mimic cross-stitching done by hand, which she does so beautifully. It’s a King size quilt, so that’s a lot of scraps!

Using up my scraps is my bid for immortality as I need to live several lifetimes in order to clean out my stash, lol! Saving things isn’t a problem so long as you have a place to put them. Organizing those scraps can be a challenge and you need a system which works best for you. Here’s a few tips how I store my scraps.

Shallow drawers are the key to finding anything quickly. How many of us have that mysterious, seemingly bottomless pit of a drawer in the kitchen, or home office where all the odd bits of stuff gets dumped, yet you can never find an item when you need it? Shallow drawers let you organize everything so it doesn’t get lost under a mountain of other clutter.

Ikea “Helmer” drawer units labeled with various sizes of strips and squares for easy access

I LOVE these metal drawer units from Ikea, especially since they’re red, which is my favourite colour, and, as you know, is Janome’s colour, too. They are ideal for storing scraps as each drawer is labeled with it’s contents, so I can find what I need in a flash. The less time you spend looking for something means the more time you have to create!

After I finish cutting out a quilt, tote bag, or garment, I take a little extra time and cut the remaining fabric into commonly used strips and squares. One drawer is 6″ squares, another is 5″ squares, another is 1.5″ squares which is the smallest measurement I save. They’re perfect for that Postage Stamp quilt! Anything smaller gets tossed into a bin which I later use to stuff dog beds for our local animal shelter.

I sort mostly by size, but in some cases also by valve. On the left in the photo below are the drawers of 2.5″ dark/medium strips. In the drawers above them are 2.5″ light strips. Whenever I want to make a scrappy Jelly Roll Rug, or Log Cabin quilt, all my strips are cut and neatly folded so I don’t have to take a ton of extra time pressing and prepping my fabric to cut out what I need; it’s all my fingertips ready to go.

Scraps are cut into more usable strips and squares, then organized by size, or value

The Dingo 11 Storage Cabinet & Cutting Table is what I use at the Janome Sewing and Learning Centre and have featured in my Janome HQ Instagram LIVE presentations. It’s a FABULOUS scrap organizer as most of the drawers are shallow, so they’re great for storing scraps and cutting tools, but the larger drawers are perfect for storing larger pieces of fabric, batting, pressing tools, or maybe even your serger!

You will find lots of organization and storage solutions on ArrowSewing.CA, and be sure to check with our Janome Canada dealers to see what deals on Arrow Sewing furniture they may have on, as well.

Large chunks of batting are ideal to store in those larger, deeper drawers so they don’t get crushed and stay lint/ dust-free. I picked up the wooden crate below at a second-hand store for this purpose, but you can see that Kitty (her real name is Raja, but we just call her Kitty) had other intensions for it. To think that black batting was once lint/ pet hair free. I should have known it would be magnet for her, lol! Now, that crate full of batting scraps is Kitty’s bed in my sewing room, so I don’t dare disturb anything and came up with another solution to store larger pieces of batting instead.

Baskets of all sizes and shapes are another go-to to store a variety of items. I bought the baskets below over 20 years ago and they’ve held a variety of treasures over the years. For now, it’s large batting scraps.

Smaller pieces of batting get cut up into squares and strips and are stored on this wheeled 4-tier cart, so I never have to hunt for a piece of batting when I’m practicing my free-motion quilting, or when I’m making a Jelly Roll Rug. The pieces are cut and ready to go whenever I am.

For more tips on scrap-busting, click HERE and watch this video on the Janome HQ You Tube channel.

We’d love to hear YOUR tips and tricks for organizing your scraps, so please share in the comments below.

Happy Sewing!

Office Organization in the Sewing Room

“A place for everything, everything in it’s place”, a famous inventor once said. Ben Franklin must have also been a crafter/hobbyist as we creative types tend to accumulate a lot of stuff. “Stuff” really isn’t a problem so long as you have room for it all and can find what you’re looking for when you need it.

Your Janome Canada dealer has items like the Janome Pin Pal and the Janome Bobbin Saver2, which were specifically designed to help sewists keep their tools of the trade organized and close at hand. Fabric stores and quilt shops are also good resources for sewing-related storage items, but also check out the office supply and discount stores for some unconventional organization solutions.

Janome Pin Pal: Part Number PP-Janome Janome Bobbin Saver2: Part Number BS2

The “Office Desk Set” below is easy to find at the office supply store, but also check out second-hand stores, which is where I scored mine. The tray on the left was designed to hold a notepad, but I instead lined it with foam to keep smaller, commonly used items like pins and a tape measure close to my machine. The foam allows me to stick hand-sewing and machine needles in it, so I don’t loose track of them.

The “Pen/Pencil” holder is good for holding a variety of fabric marking tools, and the little metal seam gauge I’ve had for over 30 years. I’ve used it a million times over the years because it’s always had a home, in one form or another, next to my machine where it’s always handy and easy to find. The other “Pen/Pencil” holder is great to hold scissors and is lined with foam to protect the tips of the scissors.

The discount home-goods store is one of my favourite places to shop for storage/ organization solutions. The metal hangers of the “necklace” holder below reminded me of a Barbie closet, so of course, I had to buy it! I thought this would also make a good place to hang strips of binding for quilts in progress, left-over bits of ribbon, etc. The base keeps other items; notepads, embroidery CDs, thread stand, organized and at my fingertips when I need them.

The rubbery grip shelf liner is great to cut up and place under items on the sewing table so nothing flies off with the vibration from the machines. I learned that the hard way, lol!

The metal stand below is meant to store nail polish and other beauty items, but for my purposes, it works better to store some of my Iris polyester thread. It could even hang on the wall to take advantage of the often under-utilized vertical space in the room.

Since I use several machines at home in a relatively small space, keeping all the accessories organized, and accessible, yet stored out of the way when not in use is key. The collapsible metal cart was a great find at the discount home-goods store as it fits the Janome MC550E and Janome CoverPro 3000P perfectly! The cart is on wheels so I can wheel it next to my sewing table to off load the machines to use them and put on other machines temporarily. It’s works out great.

I love these red metal drawer units I use for scrap storage and to store commonly used sewing items under my sewing table. The drawers are shallow so nothing gets buried and they were easy to customize with a set of organizers from the discount store.

Since the drawer units are metal, take advantage of the vertical space using magnets to hold items so they’re organized and easily accessible.

We’d love to hear how you keep your sewing “stuff” organized; so please let us know in the comments below!

Happy Sewing!

How AmandaBee Tries to Stay Organized

Much like many of you, my sewing journey started out at the kitchen table. A dedicated sewing space was not in the cards in our first house. We barely had room for a double bed in our bedroom and we had to cut the wall to even get the box spring up the stairs. I think this has influenced how I keep organized to this day. 

I had to keep everything in 2 bins which lived in an unfinished attic space. I tried to find you a photo of my original two bins, but had no luck. I did find a photo of what happened often in our first house when I didn’t keep my fabric put away. That’s a small child getting lost crawling in the fabric, lol!

Even though I now have a dedicated sewing space, it is under 100 square feet which isn’t a lot of room for all the stuff I have! I have maximized the space with Ikea kitchen cupboards but trying to keep everything organized in those cupboards often takes a lot of… you guessed it, bins! If everything has a bin to live in then I feel less overwhelmed.

You can see my studio here. Please note, it only ever looks that clean when I’m doing a photo shoot. Normally it is pure chaos! In fact, most of these photos in this article were taken at angles that hid the mess I have going on right now.

Some bins get used without lids to keep oddly shaped things together. All my Janome accessories get stored in such containers. Sometimes they are more organized than others. I try to keep all the optional specialty presser feet for my Janome Continental M7 together in one bin, larger accessories like the Janome Circular Sewing Attachment in another bin.

I also keep my thread in bins too because we all know thread is chaos. These are all behind a cupboard door and are shielded from the sun. If you keep thread and fabric in bins in the open make sure you keep them in containers you can’t see through to help protect them against the light.

Each project I’m working on gets its own bin so I’m not losing patterns or pieces in the chaos I work in. I utilized as much vertical space in my studio as possible storing things on a shelf above my sewing table and on top of the upper cabinets. 

I try to keep the number of projects I’m working on to the number of bins I can store around the top of my studio. Sometimes there needs to be an overflow. This is under my sewing desk which is an under-utilized space.

We all know corner cupboards are tricky and you often lose things in the back. So, I have everything organized in more bins! It’s much easier to move the bins in and out than stacks of things on top of or in front of one another.

I try to keep all my paper work organized in bins too! Patterns and manuals live in these bins which I actually took the time to label. That doesn’t happen often, lol!

My scrap storage is in a drawer with each colour group getting a bin or two. I can close the lids on some of them but my yellow scraps are overflowing! It’s time for a scrappy yellow project! Any ideas?

I even use little bins for my fabric trimmings and garbage on my work station. Santa brought me some delicious Lindor’s for Christmas. Spoiled rotten? Maybe, lol!

I’m not too picky on the size or shape of bins. I can find a use for most. I do tend to get a majority of my bins from IKEA, as I find their pricing is great and I love an excuse to go to IKEA. However, I have bins from dollar stores, box stores, local hardware stores and even stores that specialize in boxes.

Do you use bins to stay organized?

Stitch on!

AmandaBee

We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Broadcast….

We sew appreciate your loyalty and support of Janome HQ, but alas, there will be NO LIVE at 1pm EST @janomehq Instagram page this afternoon. I’m checking out various sewing machines stores, fabric stores and quilt shops south of the border, so will come back with more to share!

I will be back LIVE February 1st, 2023!

This is the perfect time to get caught up on any presentations you might have missed as they’re all stored in IGTV on the @janomehq Instagram Page and on the Janome HQ You Tube channel.

What machine and Janome goodies will we talk about on Magical Machine Mystery Tour? It’s a MYSTERY so you must tune in each week for the big reveal!

Want to know answers to questions about your machine or about Janome products? Tune in every other week for Ask Janome HQ. Depending on the question, it may be answered LIVE!

Don’t worry if you can’t make the LIVE presentation, though. They’ll be stored in the IGTV icon on the Janome HQ Instagram Page and later posted as videos on the Janome HQ You Tube channel.

Follow us on the Janome HQ Facebook page to see what’s new at our Janome Canada Headquarters, our Janome HQ!

Happy Sewing and #sharethejanomelove!

Today’s Facebook LIVE: Bundle Up In Style!

It’s a NEW year and Celine has a whole new line up of NEW projects filled with new sewing tips and tricks for you! This month the Janome Sewing Machine Facebook LIVES will focus on projects to help you “Bundle up in style” since most of the United States, and certainly all of us in Canada are in the throws of Winter with more cold and snow on the way!

On today’s Janome Sewing Machine Facebook LIVE at 3pm Eastern, Celine will show you how to fashion a fabulous furry scarf, complete with a bound buttonhole. Don’t panic! Bound buttonholes aren’t as difficult to create as one would imagine. They do take some practice, but they definitely elevate your sewing to the designer category. As always, Celine will share all her tips and tricks for success!

Though Celine often uses the fabulous Janome Continental M17. or Janome MC15000 Quilt Maker to demonstrate her techniques, many Janome models come with the same presser feet or have the same stitches, or have the same embroidery designs, or features, so these projects can be done on any machine. There are always creative ways to adapt to make it work!

Janome Continental M17.

Check out our handy NEW Janome Accessories Guide in the Accessories Tab on Janome.CA. to find the presser feet and accessories compatible with your machine. Click the Products tab, then scroll down to find “View all Accessories“. Click there to access the Search Box or to scroll through the pages to find the accessories you’d like. Click on the picture/description to find the Part Number and machine compatibility. And, as always, check with your fabulous Janome Dealer!

Don’t worry if you can’t make the LIVE. All of the presentations will be saved under the Videos tab of the Janome Sewing Machines Facebook page. Use the Search Box to find all the videos with Celine Ross.

Don’t have a Facebook account, don’t worry, they will be uploaded to the Janome HQ You Tube channel under the Facebook Live playlist to enjoy whenever you wish!

Happy Sewing!

Sewing Storage Tips

To help organize your sewing room, here are my best tips and suggestions for storage. A tidy workshop allows more time to sew as there’s no need to look for the items. Everything is at hand when everything is in plain sight. Here’s how I store my sewing items.

#1 PINS: There are several kinds suitable for different fabrics. A magnetic Janome Pin Pal allows pins to be collected and stored securely next to your machine. In addition, it facilitates the collection of pins that have fallen on the ground or on the fabric. As a bonus, Janome’s name is printed on the side so you can share more of the Janome love.

Part #: PIN-Janome

#2 J BOBBINS: Janome offers several colours of Janome “J ” bobbins, which fit most Janome sewing and embroidery machines; clear, red, pink and blue. Clear bobbins are available as a set of 10 in a blister pack and the coloured bobbins are available as a set of 25 in clear plastic cases.

To keep your bobbins tidy without constantly unwinding threads, rectangular storage is ideal. Janome also has the convenient Janome Bobbin Saver2, which is made of a flexible material to grip the bobbins in place. This is ideal for travel and to keep your sewing area tidy.

Janome Bobbin Saver2 Part #: BS2

#3 THREADS: There are so many types and weights of threads we use; thread for the sewing machine, threads for the serger/overlocker, threads for embroidery, threads for quilting, etc. They all must remain untangled and ready to use whenever needed. These elegant fabric boxes contain two plastic trays with removable thread holders which keep your threads tangle-free and organized. Why not a box to store the same kind of threads while decorating your sewing room? These are ideal to take to class or a retreat, too! Check with your Janome Canada dealer to see what thread storage solutions they may have.

#4 SMALL SEWING ITEMS: Keep your everyday sewing items like scissors, screwdrivers, stiletto, etc. organized and at your fingertips with in this convenient Tools and Embellishment Holder from Tutto. It is also very convenient to take with you when traveling to sewing classes, a retreat, to the cottage, camping, etc. They’re available in many colours, too. Contact your Janome Canada dealer for details.

#5 FABRICS: I like to store my fat quarters by colour in a bag with a transparent vinyl window, as it allows me to see at a glance what’s inside. I have several of these bags for different fabrics; stretch fabrics, 100% cotton fabrics for quilts, silks for my most luxurious projects, printed panels, and a bag for fabric scraps of each kind from my completed projects.

Fabric storage bag with clear window: ideal for fat quarters

As for my fine fabrics like organza, strips, borders-prints, fabrics cut on the biases of various widths, ribbons, etc., I prefer these white, corrugated plastic boards. They are stiff, but lightweight, and come both wide and narrow. The tabs help hold the fabric in place when I start winding. I store them in a drawer or I hang them by the top hole that is already in the board.

The key to organization is to classify everything in a logical, easy to find and easy-to-use way which works for you!

Organizing Thread

No matter what type of sewing you do; garments, quilting, tote bags, embroidery; or what kind of machines you have; sewing machine, longarm quilting machine, embroidery machine, serger; you’ll use a variety of threads to complete your projects.

There’s so many luscious varieties of threads available now. Janome Canada is a distributor of Janome, Hilos Iris and Madeira threads, so they’re conveniently available from your Janome dealer. If they don’t have them in stock, they can order for you.

The question comes up how to store them? The more organized they are, the less time you’ll spend searching for just the right colour, or just the right type of thread for the job. The key to staying organized is to develop a system which works for you. For me, it’s a variety of metal drawer units and cabinets to the rescue! I like to keep my thread in drawers so they stay dust/cat hair free and are protected against the light. Sunlight will fade and dry-out threads over time. Cotton threads especially will loose moisture since it’s a natural fibre, making the thread more brittle and weak.

Below is a tool chest found in most hardware and home improvement stores, meant to store tools like wrenches, screwdrivers, etc. I already have such a chest to store those traditional tools in my laundry room, so, since I love repurposing and finding new uses for things, I bought this chest to house the other types of “tools” I use all the time in my sewing room – THREAD!

Metal surfaces mean magnets, so I take advantage of vertical storage by using magnets to hang things

The shallow drawers make it easy to organize and find whatever colour of Janome polyester embroidery thread I need. The boxes on the right in the photo above are the lids to the three colour collections of Janome polyester embroidery thread you can find at any Janome Canada dealer. If they don’t have them in stock, they can order them in for you as they’re in stock in our Janome Canada warehouse.

I sort the thread by colour number, then look at the inside lid of the box if needed to see it’s name as all the colour numbers and names are listed by collection #1, #2, #3. This is super-convenient and a real time-saver since every design built-in to every Janome embroidery machine uses the colour palettes from these collections. Every colour you need is at your fingertips!

For larger spools, or in this case, Mini-King Cones of Iris polyester thread, I use storage racks found in the home decor section of large discount chain stores found in most towns, and cities. These racks are intended to use for nail polish or beauty supplies, but, since I don’t use those items, I thought they’d be perfect to hold my collection of thread near my machine. I can pick up the rack and move to whatever machine I’m using as I use this thread not only for embroidery, but for quilting and for decorative stitches on the sewing machine, too.

This type of rack could even be hung on the wall, so there’s lots of options for efficient storage and organizing, especially if you’re fighting for space.

In a previous blog, I wrote how I love these drawer units below because the shallow drawers prevent items from getting buried and lost. This particular bank of drawers is for my scrap storage and to store my cutting tools, but I also have 3 of these drawer units under my sewing table to hold supplies I need at my sewing machine, including Iris 100% cotton quilting thread and regular polyester sewing thread.

There’s lot of thread storage options from Arrow Sewing furniture, which you can find on ArrowSewing.CA and at your Janome Canada dealer.

The Suzi Storage Cabinet comes in several finishes and can be used to store a variety of sewing tools, and goodies, not just thread.

Or, how about this adorable Arrow Storage Cube Craft Organizer? Keep it next to your machine while you’re working on a project, then wheel it back to another place if you don’t have room to keep it near your machine. There’s always sew many options to get and stay better organized no matter your space, needs or budget.

I use the Arrow MOD cabinets in my classroom at the Janome Sewing and Learning Centre as I never have enough storage and am always fighting for space. Sound familiar? lol! The MOD 5 Drawer Storage Cabinet is my favourite piece as the drawers are deep enough to store what I need, yet shallow enough that I don’t have to waste time looking for anything. It’s all at a glance, whenever I need it.

The top drawer is full of thread, which, I admit, isn’t as neatly organized as it should be, so here’s a photo of my specialty presser feet and optional accessories storage below, lol!

TIP: cut the rubbery shelf liner you find at the big “D” discount store to size to line the drawers so the items stay in place. I did that for the presser feet drawer and need to do that for my thread drawer so the threads don’t move around and fall over in the drawer (which is why I’m not showing it now, lol!)

You can also further customize the storage in the drawer by using organizers from the office supply or discount store as I have at home. I need to do the same for the MOD drawers at the office.

Yes, all these cabinets and little drawer organizers cost money, but look for sales, or search the discount or charity stores and think outside the box when it comes to using an item for an unintended purpose. These pieces are an investment which you’ll have for years, so amortized over the years, it’s really not that much.

For example, this is another tool chest sold at the hardware or home improvement store. I find a lot of things there, actually I use for sewing-related purposes, like the cording I use when making piping. In this case, this tool chest is used in our kitchen as our 50 year old house has only 4 tiny drawers, which were not large enough to hold the cutlery tray, collection of utensils, food wrap, etc. The cabinet was on sale, but it was still several hundred dollars. However, it was the perfect solution for our problem and cheaper than new kitchen cabinets. We’ve had it almost 10 years and use it every day, so it really only cost us about 10 cents a day. Definitely worth it in my books! Its all on how you look at it.

Whenever we do finally get around to redoing our kitchen, I’m already eyeing this chest to store more thread and embroidery hoops, so it’s even more of an investment than originally anticipated – which means I can get more thread and sewing supplies, lol!

Yes, it’s more time and expense spent upfront, but getting and staying more organized saves you SO much time and frustration down the road! You’ll be more productive and will enjoy the process more, so it’s sew well worth it! You owe it to yourself to have more time spent creating what you love to do, and making the most of what you have.

Happy Sewing!

Hobby Patch Monthly Embroidery Series; Patch #6

Our friends from Sew4Home.Com have done it again! In order to help you get the most from your Janome embroidery machines, the Sew4Home team has created a super fun collection of lifestyle patches for you to create and use however you wish! Embellish a tote bag you take to the beach or when camping; use to repair a ripped old jean jacket or the knee of your kid’s jeans, there’s sew many creative possibilities!

So long as your machine has a 5″x 5″ hoop and a USB port, which every current model of Janome embroidery or embroidery combo machine has, you’re good to go! If your machine does not have a big enough embroidery hoop, perhaps it’s time to consider upgrading. Contact one of our Janome Canada dealers for details!

In August we debuted the Hobby Patch Monthly Embroidery Series which will feature a fun new embroidery design for a total of 7 months, courtesy of our friends at Sew4Home. Each month a new JEF embroidery file will be uploaded to the INSPIRE tab/ Sew4Home tab on our Janome.CA website. Hobby Patch #1 is Adventure.

Hobby Patch #1 Adventure

If you miss a month, not to worry. Check back to Janome.CA each month to collect all 7 patches. Each month will be a different theme, so there’s something for everyone.

With a new year comes new hopes and dreams; new ambitions and maybe a new approach on life.

The “Mindful” patch is Hobby Patch #6 and is one I’ll be stitching out for myself as I reminder I need to slow down, not work so much, and appreciate the “NOW”.

Anyone who does Yoga or mediates will love this patch. I’m going to make one to sew on special project for my sister. Add these to a special gift, too!

We’re nearing the end of our special Janome Canada/Sew4Home monthly Hobby Patch series – only 1 patch left!

In case you missed any, each Hobby Patch JEF embroidery file is available on Janome.CA under the INSPIRE tab/ Sew4Home tab.

Not only can you share the Janome love by tagging us on social media #sharethejanomelove, #janomecanada, #janomehq, to show us how YOU have used your patches, you can also use these patches to wear your Janome love!

Join me, Michael Smith, National Education Manager of Janome Canada, and Liz Johnson, Senior Editor of Sew4Home.Com LIVE the THIRD Thursday of every month at 3pm Eastern on the Janome Canada Facebook page as we reveal each month’s Hobby Patch, as well as share special sneak peeks and tips and tricks on all things sewing.

If you can’t make the LIVE presentation, not to worry. The LIVES are stored in the Media/Videos tab on the Janome Canada Facebook page, and will be uploaded to the Janome HQ You Tube channel under the Sew4Home Playlist, so you may view whenever convenient for you.

Not only can you share the Janome love by tagging us on social media #sharethejanomelove, #janomecanada, #janomehq, to show us how YOU have used your patches, you can also use these patches to wear your Janome love!

Full instructions are provided in the links on Janome.CA, but of course you’ll need a rainbow of colours of luscious embroidery thread, stabilizer, needles, bobbin thread, etc. to stitch out your patches, so be sure to contact your Janome dealer with your supply list!

Happy Sewing!